Seven Pac-12 women's golf teams advance to NCAA finals

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. —  Seven Pac-12 schools are slated to compete at the 2014 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships, the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee announced Sunday.

Three regional competitions were held May 8-10. Of the 378 regional participants, 126 advanced to the finals. Eight teams and two individuals not on a selected team advanced from each regional.

Three Pac-12 teams earned a spot at the championships out of the West Region, including West Regional host WASHINGTON. The cold winds did not stop Pac-12 domination as Conference teams swept the leaderboard. USC walked away on top of the West Regional leaderboard for the fifth year in a row. The Huskies came up one stroke short for an impressive second-place finish, with three individual players finishing in the top-10. Junior Noemi Jimenez won the individual title on Saturday to lead ARIZONA STATE to a third-place finish with an overall team score of 889 (+25). 

UCLA turned in a stellar performance in the Central Region this past weekend, walking away with its’ eighth overall NCAA regional championship. The Bruins finished 17 shots ahead of the rest of the competition. CALIFORNIA secured its’ spot in the NCAA Championships by posting 894 (+30) while ARIZONA finished in seventh with a 901 (+37). 

Pac-12 Champion, STANFORD, faced a strong field out east, but secured a spot at nationals with a fifth-place finish. Lauren Kim and Mariah Stackhouse both finished tied for 11th, and will be key contributors moving forward into next week’s final. 

The championships will be conducted May 20-23, at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The University of Tulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts of the event. For more information visit ncaa.com.